1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glare-shielding type reflector, more particularly to a reflector with a preventive mechanism against glaring by electrically controlling the reflectance thereof.
For instance, the reflector of the present invention can be used as a rear view mirror for a vehicle, such as an automobile. It can protect a driver from being dazzled by the reflected beams of head lamps of a following car.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the following specification, the reflector of the present invention will be described as a rear view mirror for an automobile. However, the reflector of the present invention should not be restricted to a rear view mirror of an automobile.
As a glare-shielding type reflector, for example, a reflector which is provided with a liquid crystal cell on a mirror surface has been conventionally known. In case such strong beams from head lamps of a following car are incident on a reflector and a driver is dazzled by the reflection of the beams, a conventional glare-shielding type reflector reduces the light transmittance of the liquid crystal cell by controlling an electric field applied thereto, and thus lessens the intensity of the reflected beams. The application of an electric field, i.e., the driving of the liquid crystal cell, is done by hand operation or automatic operation by use of a photosensor which detects the intensity of the luminous flux (the beams).
However, even when the above-mentioned luminous flux is incident on the reflector, a driver feels dazzled by the bemas reflected from only a part of the reflector surface and not from the entire surface. In other words, the driver is dazzled by the beams from the limited part of the reflector surface on which the image of the head lamps of a following car is projected.
However, the conventional glare-shielding type reflector lessens the reflection from the entire reflector surface equally. Accordingly, the part of the reflector where the beams from the head lamps are reflected is controlled to provide a proper brightness, but the part of the reflector where the contour of a following car should be reflected becomes so dark that the contour is difficult to be recognized.